Chapter 30: June Arrives
Chapter 30: June Arrives
Fang Yuenian still focused on the intensive review course.
It's actually quite funny. He used to think he wasn't a good student, that he was just average in every aspect, so he didn't associate with the group of students who were particularly good at studying—but he always hung out with Cheng Bing, who had the best grades.
Well, now he's putting in all his effort to get into the top high school. His previous carefree attitude has completely disappeared. He didn't even realize it himself, but he has almost become a serious and diligent student.
This spring and summer, it should be said, became the shortest time of their lives so far, so fast that they had no time to notice. The beautiful green metasequoia road that they had to take from Shuibiwan to Shangzhenziwei Dam gradually changed into summer clothes, spreading out a wide and deep green. The farmland and houses on both sides bid farewell to the dullness of winter and spring, and once again showed new vitality year after year.
June has arrived.
With the high school entrance exam approaching, the school set up another group tutoring class on Saturday.
Shuibiwei Junior High School, located in a remote town, probably felt that it was far from the reach of the authorities and openly challenged the Education Bureau's rule against extra classes, adding another half day and night to the students' weekly time at school. It can be said to be inhumane, yet no one objected.
The parents of students in the small town all shared a simple and unified idea: if not now, when? Let them study like crazy.
On Saturday morning, Fang Yuenian was completely dejected after finishing the upgraded intensive course.
It wasn't because of fatigue or stress, but because he suffered a significant blow in the first week of this brand new month: the results of the third citywide mock exam, which was rumored to be easy and basic, designed to boost everyone's confidence, were out.
He actually got a 26 on the test again.
He couldn't describe the feeling of being both amused and frustrated. He felt so weak and listless that he couldn't even muster the energy to pack his things and go home.
Besides, I still need to catch a ride.
Life is simply bleak.
They've been taking a local minibus between the village and school via another road recently—the old, weathered metasequoia and gravel road is finally going to be repaired. These days, they're blocking the road to take measurements, which is causing inconvenience for the public. However, the official explanation is that the measurements need to be completed first, and they assure everyone that construction won't officially start before July, so it won't affect the college entrance exams.
Therefore, the weekly cycling activities were temporarily canceled, and Fang Yuenian had to endure taking the minibus twice a week, which caused him great pain.
The fact that a legitimate minibus route has been established indicates that the necessary conditions exist, and indeed they have.
This other road is a beautiful, flat cement road, lined with dawn redwood trees. Although it is not as dense and numerous as the previous one, it is much wider. The young men and women riding bicycles on the road look relaxed and happy, without having to endure the bumps. The only two drawbacks are that it is more than twice as far from the town and the nearest point is separated from Shuibi Bay by a river.
Fang Yuenian huddled by the car window, desperately trying to catch the breeze seeping in through the cracks, a lollipop dangling from her mouth. Her voice was muffled and filled with resentment as she complained, "Why? Why? 26 again! 26 again! Even a 20 would have been fine!"
Cheng Bing said, "The content of this exam was relatively simple..."
"It was easy, I only got 26!"
Cheng Bing: "..."
“I mean, it’s very simple for everyone,” he continued good-naturedly. “There won’t be a significant gap. Didn’t you see the rankings? The difference between tenth and thirtieth place is less than 20 points, and there are many ties.”
Fang Yuenian turned to look at him: "Then why didn't I get tenth place?"
Cheng Bing: "..."
Fang Yuenian looked up at the heavens speechlessly: "Don't try to comfort me. I know I can't get into the top ten. I do practice problems until midnight every day, I don't sleep at noon and I don't eat breakfast, but I still can't get into the top ten. I just..."
He got stuck halfway through writing and then sighed in frustration, "Forget it, I should have written that 4-point chemical equation correctly. How could I forget to balance it... And that proof question, it's the same question from the workbook a couple of days ago, just with the ABCD order changed... I clearly heard that thought during my English listening comprehension... Ugh—"
He tugged at a clump of hair with his fingers, feeling extremely annoyed.
"I want to have my head opened up again."
“You really can’t open your head any further,” Cheng Bing said seriously, tearing off another lollipop and handing it to him.
Fang Yuenian took it with a long face, stuffed it into his mouth, and after a long while, whispered, "But what if, I mean what if, I really didn't..." He didn't dare to finish his sentence and looked at Cheng Bing timidly.
“There are still many days left. After a few more practice questions, you will be able to correct these minor flaws and you will improve.” Cheng Bing said slowly and deliberately, but when she saw Fang Yuenian’s face turn even more dejected out of the corner of her eye, she changed the tone of her words, “If you don’t get into No. 1 High School, when you see me later, take the last chance to call me ‘senior’ in advance.”
Fang Yuenian's breath hitched. "Wh-what?"
His expression changed, and he immediately raised his voice: "Sister Jun is home?"
A passenger nearby cast a strange look at them. Cheng Bing glanced at him and whispered, "What are you shouting for?"
Fang Yuenian didn't care about anyone else. He opened his mouth wide and said incredulously, "Are you kidding me? The college entrance exam is tomorrow!"
Yes, tomorrow is the day the college entrance examination begins.
It's an exaggeration to say that a poor boy can change his fate by studying hard for ten years and then taking the exam, but for Cheng Junjun, who is always the talk of the village, it was definitely a pivotal moment in her life.
Cheng Bing smiled and said softly, "Sister Jun hasn't come back."
Fang Yuenian's brain probably needed another jolt. It took him a full three seconds to realize, "Sister Xiaoxiao is back?!"
Cheng Bing smiled, "Yeah, I'm rushing back to the city this afternoon. My second sister is taking the college entrance exam this year, and my sister will be with her the whole time. She arrived in the city yesterday and booked a hotel near the exam venue. She came home this morning after showing my second sister the exam venue. She wants to see Grandpa and Grandma and also bring some millet rice crackers that my mom made, saying they're for my second sister as a snack. My mom told me this when I called home last night."
Fang Yuenian not only forgot the damn number 26, but also forgot about motion sickness. He was a little dazed. "Oh my god, when did you call home? I didn't see you go to the newsstand. Oh no, when is Sister Xiaoxiao leaving? Will we still be able to see her?"
Cheng Bing nodded: "Yes, I said we'd go back at noon."
Fang Yuenian was overjoyed and said, "Approved!"
She then asked, "Will Aunt Qiuyan still go to keep Sister Jun company?"
"I'm not going. My second sister said that I'm fine with her."
“That’s right, that’s right. Having Sister Xiaoxiao is enough,” Fang Yuenian breathed a sigh of relief, miraculously regaining her ambition. “Let me tell you, although I really want to call Sister Xiaoxiao and Sister Jun ‘senior,’ I’ve thought about it. Since they’re in the same school, we should be in the same school too. That’s very fair and reasonable. I still want to go to No. 1 High School.”
This was some kind of twisted logic, but Cheng Bing just smiled and said, "Oh."
Fang Yuenian: "Oh what? What's with that expression? Give me my backpack, I want to read."
Cheng Bing tightened the backpacks of the two people in her arms and turned her face away: "Save your breath."
Fang Yuenian: "Don't be so tense right now. I need to cherish every minute and second."
Cheng Bing: "...Shut up and go to sleep."
After arriving at the station, the two got off the car and walked along the path through the village to the place where the boat was moored at the corner.
These days, they have to travel this stretch of waterway every time they come and go. The boat belongs to Cheng Bing's family, and Cheng's father specially reinforced it so that it could be used for temporary ferry services.
This place where the boats are moored used to be a proper ferry crossing, where wooden boats that carried people and goods were moored. Most of the boatmen were skilled old men who rowed the boats. They could earn a few dollars for taking people from Shuibi Bay to town. They could earn more if they chartered the boats for cargo. However, this business has gradually faded away, and now hardly anyone does it anymore. Only the wooden stakes and steps remain, which are convenient for nearby residents to moor their boats occasionally.
Once on the boat, Fang Yuenian took the initiative to row. They were both skilled with oars, and with their height and strength, they broke through the water at a very fast pace.
Actually, Cheng Bing had paddled the previous times, while Fang Yuenian would listlessly splash water on his face. But today, his motion sickness was cured by the unexpected surprise, and he happily took over the paddle. To see Cheng Xiaoxiao, he didn't even plan to go home first, since no one was guarding the water behind his house and wouldn't see that he had returned but had gone to Cheng's house's wharf.
As the boat approached the shore, Fang Yuenian stopped. She immediately spotted a figure under the shade of a tree and, without even bothering to put away the oars, hurriedly waved, "Sister Xiaoxiao—"
Cheng Xiaoxiao was standing under the orange tree in front of the door, carrying a small basket of loquats. She was wearing a reddish-orange shirt, and her hair, which was just past her shoulders, was smooth, black, and shiny. She was as radiant as the bright summer sun.
If Cheng Junjun is a beautiful, spirited but somewhat aloof girl, then Cheng Xiaoxiao is the complete opposite. Her gentleness and resilience are innate and perfectly blended, all transformed into the warm glow between her brows and eyes.
Hearing the call, she turned her head slightly and replied with a smile, "Niannian!"
That day, Fang Yuenian entered the main room of the Cheng family after a long absence. She was pulled by Cheng's mother-in-law to eat several loquats—they were sent by Lin's grandmother, mainly for Cheng Xiaoxiao, but all the sisters also benefited.
Cheng Qiuyan was busy packing things for Cheng Xiaoxiao. She took a moment to ask about his mock exam results. When she heard that he had maintained his 26th place ranking, she praised him several times. Cheng Xiaoxiao brought over a plate of rice crackers that were about to be put into a cardboard box and let him pick out a piece to try. Sure enough, it was fragrant and crispy.
—Although he only stayed for a short while before going home, he was very content.
That evening, he was doing his homework in his room when Wang Jing came in twice, once to bring milk and once to bring apples. The third time she came in, Fang Yuenian couldn't help but call out to her, "Mom."
In the past, when Fang Yuenian didn't care about his grades, Wang Jing would chase after him three or four times a day, nagging him about his scores and grades until he became numb and lazy, letting it go in one ear and out the other. But in the past two months, she has probably seen her son's determination, so she rarely says anything anymore. Most of the time, she quietly prepares food and drink for him and tells him to dress warmly and sleep well.
She placed the mosquito coil in her hand in the corner. "Hmm?"
"You know Xiaoxiao is back, right?"
"Yes, I listened to the lecture... but left again as soon as I got back."
"Xiaoxiao came back to accompany Junjie during her college entrance exam, so Cheng Bing's parents were at ease and didn't go to the city."
Wang Jing paused for a moment, her fingers still damp with mosquito coil ash. She rubbed them casually, but a smile she couldn't hide appeared on her face. "Okay, I know. You do your homework. I'm going out."
After she left, Fang Yuenian stared blankly into the void for a while, then closed her eyes and continued to work on her practice problems.
While the older sisters faced the college entrance exam head-on, Cheng Bing and Fang Yuenian still had to continue their studies.
Later, Fang Yuenian heard that Cheng Xiaoxiao took Cheng Junjun, who had just finished the college entrance examination, out to play for three or four days. When the weekend came, Cheng Junjun was picked up by Lin Guohui along with that mountain of books. Fang Yuenian was quite envious and took the opportunity to ask Cheng Bing if she wanted to go out to play after finishing her exam.
Cheng Bing reminded him, "We're making a cabinet this summer. If you still want to give it as a gift to Sister Jun for getting into university, do you still want to?"
Fang Yuenian blinked: "OK, I'll think about it."
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